KODAK SONORA XP Plates Offer New Plate Size and Gauge

KODAK SONORA XP Process Free Plates, already in high demand among medium-size printers, are now more accessible for large commercial printers. With new larger plate sizes and a 0.40 mm gauge, SONORA XP Plates are allowing more printers to shift to process-free plate production, yielding environmental and economic benefits without sacrificing performance. KODAK SONORA XP Process Free Plates remove the chemistry, electricity, water and equipment used in plate processing, while delivering the quality, productivity and print capabilities of mainstream processed plates.

SONORA XP Plates are now available in plate widths up to 1,495 mm, and Kodak is scaling up with even larger plate sizes over the next several months. Currently, SONORA XP Plates are the only true process-free plates commercially available in these formats. VLF plate sizes, a variety of gauges—including 0.40 mm—and fast imaging speeds make SONORA XP Plates ideal for a wide range of medium and large commercial printers. Removing processing can deliver significant cost, environmental and process control benefits for printers of all sizes, and with SONORA XP Plates, Kodak has been striking down the barriers that have prevented large printers from adopting process-free plates in the past. The new VLF plate size and 0.40 mm gauge are the latest in a string of developments—including faster imaging speeds, longer run lengths, darker plate contrast, and broader print capability—that have expanded the reach of SONORA XP Plates.

“More than 2,000 customers have embraced the process-free revolution started by Kodak. The SONORA XP Process Free Plate is the next step in the evolution of process-free thermal plate technology,” said Rich Rindo, General Manager of Kodak’s Worldwide Graphics Marketing organization. “Customers are switching to SONORA XP Plates from mainstream processed plates because they can get a product that meets their customers’ most demanding print needs, while at the same time reducing their overall operational costs and environmental footprint.”

Not only do SONORA XP Plates satisfy the needs of small, medium and large commercial sheetfed print production, they also deliver strong print performance on commercial heatset and coldset web presses, in offset packaging applications, and even in short-run UV.

Prior to SONORA XP Plates, commercial printers with higher productivity and print capability requirements were unable to take advantage of the cost and environmental benefits derived from process-free plate technology due to their business needs. This new class of process-free plates from Kodak provides the environmental and economic benefits of no plate processing, yet delivers the quality, productivity and print capability comparable to mainstream processed plates. The larger sizes of SONORA XP Plates address the needs of even more medium and large commercial printers.

Grafiche Esposti, a printer in Italy looking to combine the color fidelity and high-quality images required for its customers’ display stands, recently turned to Kodak for a more sustainable print production and invested in a KODAK MAGNUS VLF Platesetter and 0.40 mm KODAK SONORA XP Process Free Plates in formats of up to two square meters, a sector first.

“Color fidelity needs to be perfect for display stands and the KODAK SONORA XP Process Free Plates ensure that it is,” said Silvano Finelli, owner of the Kodak plate distributor F.lli Finelli. “Not only are our customers satisfied with the quality of the results, but many brands are highly conscious of the environment so they also greatly appreciate the fact that their displays are printed using plates with a low environmental impact.”